Preparation and Practice
by SaoirseSpeir
Summary: Neuro knows preparation is important. He's made sure that all fields of study have been covered-but one. No matter how much reading he does, it escapes him. So it's a good thing Slave number one is female, just in case he ever needs...practice. NY


_((NeuroNeuro, on the topic of Yako and Love.))_

NeuroxYako. One-shot.

* * *

. . .

This is the reason he looked down on humans.

Look, see how she weeps at the misfortunes of others. He would never be able to understand that. In the Demon world, the only creature that wept at the sight of misfortune had tears that soaked up misery as a source of nutrient. He could understand it back there – it was a part of an intricate food chain. He stared at the girl beside him on the couch.

She was curled up, tears leaking down from her eyes to pool in the clefts of clenched fingers covering her mouth. A pale red tinge was growing around the corners of puffy eyes. The tips of her fringe were wet where she had pressed her face into her knees. Her whole countenance was a mess of moisture.

Disgraceful.

The movie itself wasn't even particularly interesting. Who cared if the childhood friends never saw each other again? What did it matter if the main character lives out their entire life waiting for someone who was already dead? He was bored within the first five minutes, having already predicted the ending of the film.

With the movies in the Demon world, at least they varied the expressions on the corpses. In the big budget ones, they even used different coloured flames for the village plundering. He didn't see any of _that_ up here.

"I'll...I'll never f-forget you...Th...Than—" The man's deep voice broke as he finally closed his eyes, death colouring his pallor white. The anguished scream from the leading woman echoed around the room as even the camera left her, kneeling by her dead love in the pittering rain. Neuro's nose twitched as a yawn tickled the edges of his throat. The camera was taking an awfully long time to lose interest in the woman, moving away from the scene at the pace of a squashed cockroach.

He let out a low growl of frustration. This was a huge waste of time. Nothing good ever came out of this girl, despite his many attempts to 'evolve' her. Why had he agreed to her stupid reasoning?

* * *

Neuro had wanted to understand the human psyche in greater detail. In all the mysteries he had solved so far, it was easy to spot the motives, to unravel and trace back the carefully elicited plans. Humans, when pressured, became closely akin to the inhabitants of his world. It was a simple matter to see through them.

But for that one case. That one, huge case, he had needed herhelp. He admits it. He knew she would be the one to solve it. But still, his weakness in the area of human emotions was a thorn in his side, and her words at that time, "No, it would've been impossible for you," only served to drive it in deeper. The next time, she might not be so lucky. The next time, she might get them both killed. So he made it a point to impress the need to continue moving. To never forget the hardships she had faced, and in doing so, she would hopefully grow.

But if she didn't...he had to take precautions.

* * *

The next day, Yako turned up at the office late. It wasn't her fault, really, that the noodle bar near her place at placed out a new menu. Or that the new dishes tasted so horrid that she just _had_ to wash them down with some of her old favourites. Which consisted of most of the main menu. And a few drinks. And an ice-cream. Or was it two? IN ANY CASE, it wasn't her fault. So Neuro would just have to—

Neuro didn't do anything. In fact, he barely noticed her coming in, engrossed as he was in his book. For this, Yako was immensely relieved. That is, until she walked a little closer.

"Neuro..." Yako looked apprehensively at the pile of books, magazines and articles spotting Neuro's desk. She picked one up. _Forbidden Love: A Passion Burnt of Summer. _"Why are you reading...romance novels?"

Neuro smirked. "Preparation."

"Oh. Right, you like to be ready fo– wait, WHAT!?" Yako stared down at him in a strange mixture of horror and exasperation. "Preparing for what? You're not possibly thinking of practicing..."

In reply, Neuro flipped a page of the book he was reading. Yako carefully placed down the one she was holding and edged backwards, not once looking away from him. Her uncertainty was almost palpable. Neuro sniffed the air, tasting it. A little bland, for his tastes. Well, at least her actions were always quite amusing. He flipped another page, and almost gave it away by smiling maliciously when she flinched. In truth, he was merely skimming through the book. They were abhorrently simple to understand, there was never a good puzzle, a good mystery in them. Many had the same plot and characters, only in different contexts.

The only thing he had trouble with was the motives. _Why?_ Why did the characters fall in love? To be more precise, what _was_ this strange emotion? It was the bane of many a controlled, acceptable human. They changed them, causing them to lash out, act on whims, or become entirely too sweet and kind. What was this mysterious emotion? Some form of unknown biochemical?

Yako had once mentioned that this emotion was most likely one of the more complex ones. He agreed. Lust, he could understand, but sometimes even _that_ was held at bay, with a gentle, "We can go slow" or "I'll wait for you." Patience? Loyalty? Was _this_ the elusive Love?

He was beginning to think this was beyond him. Evidently, it was time for a little slave torture. Or perhaps he could, as she so feared, practice...? Of course, Neuro would never lower himself to her level. She was a mere tool, a puny little washcloth that he tormented when he got bored. Which was most of the time. But, still, slave number one seemed to have a whole horde of hidden uses.

He slammed down the book and stood up. "Yako!" He called out cheerfully. The girl immediately froze, as if somehow hoping to blend into the background.

"What is it, Neuro?" Impressive, she had managed to keep the tremor out of her voice. Not moving, her eyes were fixated onto her bag like she wished to burn holes in them. Foolish slave. He hadn't used the 777 Power for that on her yet.

"Come here."

She marched over to him, footsteps heavy. Her face just gave everything away. Dread, dread, apprehension. She was the type that would lose within the first round of a poker game. And boy, did he enjoy getting reactions from her. It was almost as amusing as solving a good puzzle. She had a mulish expression on her face, as if she had accepted, but _definitely_ wasn't going to make it easy.

"You gave me a good idea. Practice!" Yako cringed. "And since I'm such a kind, loving master, you'll be my test subject. Don't worry, slave, _I'll be gentle_." She went pale all the way up to the roots of her hair, her eyes taking on a glazed countenance; a rabbit caught in headlights. Maybe he should use some more quotes, see how much she could take. He resisted the urge to flick through the books to find a particularly nasty one. No, better to move on while she was still unable to complain or think of an excuse.

"This one." He handed the book he had been reading to her (which she took with limp hands) and pointed to a particular passage that had initially disgusted him, but in turn made him curious. He looked for all the world like a little boy pointing out a story he wanted his mother to read, all wide-eyed innocence. Yako knew far, far better.

Oh, she had read one of these books before, when Kanae couldn't stand her apathy for the opposite gender any longer and had forced one onto her. She _knew_ what was usually in these books.

Slowly, her eyes trawled down to the specified passage with the speed of a doomed prisoner. _What will I tell my mother?! What will I tell KANAE?! God, she'll never let me live it down. Neuro will make sure I'll forever be called the Indecent Piggy Detective...I'll never be able to look Sasazuka or Godai in the eyes again...Akane will be the only one who knows the truth, and she can't even be seen! Urgh...Please, just, let it be normal. Something like a kiss might be tolerable. I mean, Neuro's not _bad_-looking. Despite his strange hair. I suppose I've gotten used to him...when did that happen? After he saved me from the Scissors murderer? After Sai? After HAL? After any of the times he's looked out for me? ...And he's tall...and kinda well-built—NO! I-I mean...you know, relatively, jeez Yako. _

A hand slapped her out of her thoughts. "Have you read it yet?" He demanded.

"Almost..."she grumbled, ignoring his loud complaints on how slow and stupid she was. She read it. Then stopped, back-tracked, and read it again.

"This..." she squeaked. Neuro glanced up, waiting.

She stared at him incredulously. "You want..._this_?"

"You don't want to?" Devious Neuro, plastering on a do-it-or-die expression.

"...You'd find some way to have to force me into it, even if I did want to." She grumbled. Well, she had known from the start she wouldn't have been able to get out of it. But this was a bit surprising.

"Is this it, then?"

"Why, does this slave want..."

"Oh, uh, no, nonono. Just expected worse, I guess." _But this'll be ok. Well, I hope._ She opened her arms and looked at him expectantly. At first he didn't move, hidden incomprehension sketched on his face. Yako almost laughed, in mirth and sadness. For someone to have lived so long and never felt someone else's warmth? She hadn't ever seen him look so strangely _lost_ before.

"Here Neuro, you do this." She said, letting the first traces of gentleness colour her words to him.

And she hugged him, burying her face into his white scarf, letting her arms slide around his ribs, reaching up his back. There was a frozen, tense moment where Yako thought he would yank her off him and throw her out the window, and Neuro thought this was somewhat excessive, even for a joke—

But then Yako leant further into his weight, wrapping her arms around him more firmly. And as if by pure instinct, Neuro's arms became unlocked and slid around her to rest around her shoulders. So small, smaller than him. Such a puny, insignificant human. So small, and yet...from where did she obtain her strength? Her confidence? He looked down at her crown of golden hair, and wasn't sure but—

— did his heart just jump? Did his arms just shudder? Or was it just her imagination? He was really rather warm. She had almost expected a chill, her image of Neuro so fixed in cold as it were. But it was instead warmth that seeped into her body, that rested across her shoulders. Yako, with her ear pressed against his chest, thought she heard his slooow, rhythmic heartbeat pick up a pace. She was certain about hers. She could feel it jarring her ribs with its force, thundering like a wild beast wishing for freedom. But, it wasn't from fear. Never, never—

— had he felt this before? No, certainly not in Hell, and not once had he experienced this in the human world. This intimacy was different from the intimacy that he usually shared with her. It wasn't like the casual head-twisting, the body-lifting, the chin-resting. Perhaps it was due to the way her arms held onto him, like she could – would – protect him from anything that assailed him. Like she was the protector, as well as the protected. Even if... foolish human, as if he couldn't protect the both of them far better—

— but Yako wasn't concerned about the external dangers. That was Neuro's field. She wasn't really thinking anymore. Too busy reveling in this new elation, the almost uncertain way he rested against her. So she had her excuses for what she did. Standing on tip-toe she brushed her lips over his jaw, strands of his hair, a stray triangle, tickling her cheeks, sliding against her closed eyelids. One heartbeat, two, passed and then Neuro's whole body seemed to jolt as if stung.

The warmth left her abruptly, her hands now rested upon air, not the softness of blue cloth. Lashings of ropes slapped her in the face before whipping around her body and stringing her from the ceiling. Yako sighed, the sense of rapture rapidly ebbing from her. _Here we go again._ A familiar shoe pressed into her face.

"Whar re ou ooing, 'euro?" she managed past half a leather sole.

"Punishing my wayward slave, of course!" The shoe left her field of vision to be replaced by the 'scandalized' face of Neuro. "So lewd, Yako! How could you _assault_ my honour like that? I should file a charge for sexual harassment!"

_The hypocritical nerve of this guy! _But Yako knew there was something different – a change in his demeanor, in the way he regarded her with curiosity. It produced in her a brassy confidence that she had only ever associated with Neuro.

"But it was enjoyable, wasn't it?"

Neuro was almost shocked into silence at her bold change. Almost. "Of course it would be for you. Aren't I the nicest master you've ever had?"

"You're the _only_ master I've ever had..."

Neuro ignored her muttering, instead picking up the book and continuing where he had left off.

"Neuro? Um, are you...satisfied?"

"Hmph. At the least I can actually comprehend the stupidity of these motivations now."

There was silence broken only by the quick flipping of paper pages.

"...Well, Neuro," Yako began casually, "there are all sorts of romance novels out there. No doubt you'll come up against another...'stupid' one. Hugs are really far more complex then you may think, you know. I wouldn't mind giving another. Unless, of course, you're scared of them."

She grinned, almost wickedly, as Neuro froze, hand poised motionless above a page. She really was going to have to tame this new, dangerous habit. Maybe.

* * *

Neuro would never lower himself to her level. But who was to say that indulging in his slave's wishes was lowering himself? If, even for a micron of an instant, he had, perhaps, enjoyed it too – that meant nothing. And if he demanded the warmth of encircled arms, that small human comfort again; ignoring the minute smile on her face – that, too, meant nothing.

All he had wanted was to see things from a human's eyes.

_._

_._

_._

_._

**A/N**: Uhhh. Well, I thought the two hugging would be cute...except I think this may have disappointed some people.

But, oh my, Yako as an almost-seme?! I can't believe I wrote that. Still, I've always thought of Neuro being rather like a pre-pubescent in these matters. Like a boy who knows all the terms but has never initiated anything himself. _Regardless_ of what he had called Yako outside the toy company. (I did love that chapter though. "Who are you keeping your lovely figure for then?" HAH!)

Please leave your thoughts on this – what you liked and disliked, suggestions etc, such things are really helpful. As always, thanks for reading!


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